Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Sep 07, 2010

The new generation CL-Class – New engines in the S-Class. Highest levels of refinement: the large Mercedes-Benz luxury saloons and coupés

With the new generation of the CL and new engines for the S-Class, Mercedes-Benz once again raises the standard for efficiency and exclusivity in the luxury saloon and coupé segment. The CL and S-Class come with highly efficient engines with direct petrol injection whose output has been increased by as much as 12.5 percent and whose petrol consumption has been reduced by as much as 24 percent. The new S 350 BlueEFFICIENCY with V6 engine, for example, is content with just 7.6 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). That corresponds to CO2 emissions of 177 g/km (previous model 10.0 l/100 km, 234 g/km CO2). In the new versions S 500 BlueEFFICIENCY and CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY, the combined fuel consumption declined to 9.4 and 9.5 litres per 100 kilometres respectively; that is equivalent to 219 and 224 g/km CO2. Crucial to this enhanced efficiency is the newly developed BlueDIRECT technology with third-generation spray-guided direct petrol injection in combination with the standard-fit start/stop function and the new 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic transmission. Innovations like the Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist ensure that the CL and S-Class remain the yardstick for automotive progress also in the area of active safety.


The innovative V6 and V8 power plants for the luxury saloons and coupés from Mercedes-Benz establish a modular petrol engine family designed for utmost flexibility. Depending on configuration, both engines operate with or without turbocharger and can be combined with 4MATIC all-wheel drive and hybrid modules. As first new eight-cylinder engine Mercedes-Benz presents the 4.6-litre twin-biturbo unit that does service in the S 500 BlueEFFICIENCY and the CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY. The new 3.5-litre V6 starts as a naturally aspirated variant in the S 350 BlueEFFICIENCY. The new Mercedes-Benz engines equally impress with significantly reduced consumption and emissions, but higher power. Besides the third-generation spray-guided direct petrol injection featuring multiple injection, multi-spark ignition and piezo injectors, the standard-fit ECO start/stop function and the friction-optimised 7G-TRONIC PLUS seven-speed automatic transmission featuring new torque converter technology contribute to this result.

S 350 BlueEFFICIENCY: the most economical petrol model in the luxury class

Compared with the previous power plant with the same displacement, the output of the new V6 petrol engine of the S 350 BlueEFFICIENCY has increased by 12.5 percent from 200 kW (272 hp) to 225 kW (306 hp). The torque has increased by 5.7 percent from 350 to 370 Newton metres. Parallel to the increase in output, consumption has been reduced by 24 percent from 10.0 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres to 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres. This makes the S 350 BlueEFFICIENCY the most economical petrol-powered model of the luxury class.

The CO2 emissions likewise have declined by 24 percent from 234 grams per kilometre to 177 grams per kilometre.

New V8 biturbo engine for CL and S-Class with great potential for savings

The new V8 biturbo engine in the S 500 BlueEFFICIENCY and CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY, with its 4663 cubic centimetres displacement, produces 320 kW (435 hp) so that despite 0.8 litres less displacement, it is still around 12 percent more powerful than its predecessor, which had an output of 285 kW (388 hp). At the same time, torque was raised from 530 Nm to an impressive 700 Nm – an increase of 32 percent. Combined consumption in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), on the other hand, drops by around 22 percent in the CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY to 9.5 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres. CO2 emissions sink from 288 to 224 grams per kilometre.

The fuel consumption of the S 500 BlueEFFICIENCY is 9.4 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres, 15.5 percent (short wheelbase) and 16 percent (long wheelbase) better than that of the previous model. An outstanding value in this output category, it equates to CO2 emissions of 219 grams per kilometre.

S 350 BlueTEC: most fuel-efficient S-Class of all time

The series of highly efficient Mercedes-Benz internal combustion engines is made complete by the new 3.0-litre diesel of the S 350 BlueTEC. The combined fuel consumption is only 6.8 litres of diesel fuel per 100 kilometres – eleven percent less than in the previous model. That equates to CO2 emissions of 177 grams per kilometre. The S 350 BlueTEC is thus the most fuel-efficient S-Class of all time. Thanks to AdBlue® emission control as standard, the 190 kW (258 hp) S 350 BlueTEC additionally ranks among the world's cleanest diesel models.

The 380 kW (517 hp) 12-cylinder biturbo engine in the CL 600 and S 600 remains the most powerful engine for the CL and the S-Class and now also complies with the Euro 5 emissions control standard.

New: Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist

Innovations like the Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist ensure that CL and S-Class remain the yardstick for automotive progress also in the area of safety. The Active Lane Keeping Assist springs into action when the vehicle inadvertently crosses a solid line to the right or left of its lane or a solid line on the outer side of a bend. In this case the Electronic Stability Program ESP® brakes the wheels on the opposite side of the vehicle to prevent unintentional swerving out of the lane.

Also new is the Active Blind Spot Assist, which warns the driver by displaying a red warning in the glass of the relevant exterior mirror when it detects that changing lanes would be too dangerous. If the driver ignores the warnings and comes dangerously close to a vehicle in the neighbouring lane, a novel feature of the system acts: a corrective braking intervention via ESP® on the wheels of the opposite side of the vehicle.

Advanced radar- and camera-based assistance systems

Like the S-Class the new generation of the CL additionally gets the Adaptive Highbeam Assist. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz now also offers Night View Assist Plus for the luxury coupé with a special infrared camera for pedestrian detection. The images supplied by the windscreen camera are also used by the new, optional Speed Limit Assist, which recognises speed limit signs in passing and shows the relevant speed limit in the central display and on the navigation system's map display (standard for the CL 600).

Mercedes-Benz has also improved the long and medium-range radar used by the Brake Assist System PLUS (BAS) PLUS and the DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control in the CL. From the S-Class the large Mercedes coupé also gets the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detector.

Handling dynamics and active driving safety are further improved by the Direct-Steer system, with variable ratio depending on steering angle, and the modified active suspension Active Body Control (ABC) with crosswind stabilisation. Like the Torque Vectoring Brake – targeted, one-sided braking intervention at the inside rear wheel when cornering, which enables the car to turn into the bend with even greater agility – both features also are familiar from the S-Class.

First-rate onboard infotainment

In line with its serene character and claim to be a technological masterwork, the Mercedes-Benz luxury class also sets standards where onboard infotainment is concerned. From the S-Class the CL gets the optional SPLITVIEW technology for the operating and display systems COMAND und COMAND APS (standard for the CL 600). This is complemented by the Navigation package (standard for the CL 600) with hard-disc navigation (40 gigabytes), 7.2 gigabyte hard disc for storing around 2500 digital music files, Gracenote® database and Music Search function. The latest LINGUATRONIC voice-operated control system rounds off the high-grade package.

The surround sound system with Discrete Logic7® technology and 14 high-performance loudspeakers, developed by Mercedes-Benz together with the audio specialists Harman Kardon®, creates an outstanding sound experience in the CL (standard for the CL 600).

The new Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system tailored to the luxury saloon's interior is available as a further new feature for the S-Class. A combination of 15 loudspeakers and two amplifiers with a total output of 1200 W ensures a thrilling quality of sound from this high-end system. The algorithm of the digital sound processor allows a choice between high-end studio sound and surround sound, and the audio output can be focused exactly on the front seat positions, the rear seats or the centre of the interior.

Fine materials and first-class finish

In the interior too the Mercedes-Benz developers and designers have perfected the new-generation CL and S-Class with great attention to detail, emphasising the exclusive character of the two model series. In the CL the buyer can choose between four different types of wood, two different leather qualities and five tasteful colour combinations. A special highlight of this luxury coupé, which is built with a high proportion of hand-finished work: the seats of the flagship model CL 600 are covered with particularly supple PASSION leather with a special V12 fluting design. The fine leather also is used for the upper and lower sections of the dashboard, the interior door trim, parcel shelf, and the ruffled pockets on the backs of the front seats. The trim of the roof liner and the interior trim of the A and C-pillars are clothed in Alcantara leather.

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